Food innovation is the current trend in the food industry and restaurants experimenting with fusion food are sure to attract customers time and again. Because combination dishes invite a loyal fan following and I am one of those people who love to explore new cuisines, even the blend of two or more.
The Chatter House has earned a fine reputation for experimenting with dishes and boy, they have succeeded in changing our palette preferences. Who could say no their Blue Cheese Naan or Port Wine with chocolate syrup?

For our Rock n Roll fans, this is the perfect place with the framed posters of The Beatles, Def Leppard, The Eagles and what not with a rivalling playlist is sure to seduce you.
Butter Chicken Spring Roll: Fusion food at its best! Who could have thought of combining the staple curry of Delhiites with the famed Oriental snack item? The spring roll has a light and flaky exterior with tender chicken pieces inside. The chicken is slightly drizzled with the smooth and creamy butter chicken gravy which is served separately and you have to dip your spring roll in the curry to enjoy this mouth watering decadence. HIGHLY RECOMMENDED.

Garden in a bowl: Fresh vegetables – black olives, carrots, broccoli and cherry tomatoes along with roasted almonds served in a tangy and creamy yoghurt and eggplant based dressing and garnished with smoked olive dust – healthy as well as light. HIGHLY RECOMMENDED.

Blue cheese Naan: This dish has been the most talked about snack item since the inception of this place. The chewy naan is redolent with the pungent flavour of blue cheese and chopped pineapple are adorned on its top so as to cut the sharpness of the cheese. Served with our very own Dal makhni which is ohh-so-creamy and we have a winner here. HIGHLY RECOMMENDED.

Bacon Wrap Mac n Cheese: Why in the name of heaven did I binge on it? Because I can not stop craving it. The melt-in-the-mouth macaroni drenched in creamy and cheesy sauce and wrapped in a bacon strip which is smoked to perfection – bacon is crispy but not chewy and the mac n cheese is not too cheesy. HIGHLY RECOMMENDED.

Mushroom Risotto: Subtlety defines this – smooth and not so creamy texture of the mushroom sauce with a topping of cherry tomatoes. HIGHLY RECOMMENDED.

Fettucine Fungi De Basco: Their fettucine is prepared in house and when combined in the creamy white wine based sauce with the addition of mushroom ragout – we could not keep our hands off! HIGHLY RECOMMENDED.

There are very few places specialising in Mughlai cuisine which are able to dish out a decent meal, forget about bringing their innovation to the table. The usual tikkas and kebabs sometimes get boring and creative energy in culinary arts is the rule of the day. Majnu ka Tilla has excelled on both the frontiers.

Without much ado, I would straightaway move forward to the loebly spread that was sent to me a few days back:

Chicken Tangri Kebab: Why in the name of God did I taste this? I have always been drawn towards the salivating Tangri Kebabs and these stuffed ones in thick sticky gravy just set a new bar for my taste buds. The stuffing of finely minced chicken with a juicy exterior of the leg piece drenched in yoghurt based gravy and the occasional green chillies will leave you yearning for more. HIGHLY RECOMMENDED.

Achaari Paneer Tikka: Tangy and spicy – wohoooo! The smoked cottage cheese pieces and the red, yellow and green bell peppers were smoked to perfection in the tangy and peppery batter. HIGHLY RECOMMENDED.

Majnu Special Afghani Chicken: The reason these guys call some of their dishes as special is because they use gravy in these appetizers. The tikka was perfectly smoked, succulent and drenched in a lovely gravy of yoghurt, green chillies and coriander flavoured with chaat masala . HIGHLY RECOMMENDED.

Chicken Tikka: Again gravy based with tender boneless chicken pieces spreading the warmth in your mouth as well as stomach. HIGHLY RECOMMENDED.

Paneer Lababdar: Vegetarians, you have to binge on this one. Thick and sliky gravy with the occasional bite of cumin seeds and a prominent flavour of the onion tomato mixture goes so well with every Indian bread that you can think of. And the paneer – top notch! They also use a secret ingredient in their preparation which I am of course forbidden to reveal. HIGHLY RECOMMENDED.

Unplugged Courtyard recently launched their Monsoon menu and things couldn’t get any better!! The restaurant is a perfect place to dine out and has an impressive ambience.
Here are the dishes that I tried-
Chennai Express Cutlet – This one is made with rice and has a south indian flavour to it. Crunchy to the core.

Multi grain coated deep fried chicken fillet- As the whole world is getting obsessed with multigrains so why not coat chicken in it? An ingenious idea which is executed perfectly. It is crunchy as well as tangy.

Mexican Spring Roll – For all the people who can’t get enough of Spring Rolls, this one is divine. The sweet chilli sauce with which it is served takes it on a whole new level. HIGHLY RECOMMENDED.

Banana Chicken – This one is grilled to perfection and is oh so juicy and tender at the same time. The flavours are bang on. HIGHLY RECOMMENDED.

Kurkure Seekh kebab – The deep fried crunchy outer covering which encloses a soft chewy kebab is a different take on the traditional seekh kebab. It is spicy as well which makes it a winner for me. HIGHLY RECOMMENDED.

Since I have been on a spate of exploring the delivery outlets of Delhi NCR, I have experienced the preparations of a handful of them and needless to say, there are few of them which leave an everlasting impression on me.
Delhi Rasoi is one such outlet which scored a 5 on 5 when it came to providing an enriching culinary experience while sitting in the comfort of your home. The order arrived well in time and here are the delicacies that I relished on:
Chicken Tikka: Such mellowness and tenderness coupled with the precise penetration of spices to the core and the crunchy smokiness adorning its exterior – HIGHLY RECOMMENDED.

Paneer Lababdar: Even a hard core non vegetarian like me fell in love with this. A thick buttery gravy with the bursting flavours of cardamom and tomatoes – each morsel tastes like divinity. HIGHLY RECOMMENDED.

Hyderabadi Chicken Biryani: So finally after a long time, had a food gasmic biryani – the enchanting waft of long grained Basmati rice and spices topped with caramelised onions with chicken pieces drenched in the herbs to the core. The chicken is so well prepared that the flesh falls off easily from the bones – optimum moistness. HIGHLY RECOMMENDED.

Food to amuse or F’muse, located at the bustling Golf Course Road, Gurgaon is yet another entrant to the rising crew of delivery outlets in Gurgaon. The food is definitely amusing to your taste buds and here are a few items that I recently savoured:

Paneer tikka: Prominent tanginess of pickle like taste with exploding flavours and dollops of spices, this one is a must try. But slight saltiness and absence of smokiness on the paneer make it a tad incomplete. RECOMMENDED.

Garlic chicken: Good but dry.

Mataki chicken: I am short of words to describe this one. It is their speciality and after hogging on it, you will know why. Succulent chicken pieces drenched in a thick, oil soaked gravy of the finest juliennes of onions, garlic and chopped tomatoes with very unusual flavours – extraordinary is a very small word for this one. HIGHLY RECOMMENDED.

Paneer Lababdar: A smooth gravy but slightly tangy and heavy on spices with well cooked paneer cubes. RECOMMENDED.

So what happens when a few friends who never had any cooking experience, decide to cook a decent meal after celebrating Friday to it umpteenth? Disaster. And what happens when an idea is born in these mechanical engineers to devise a way to make the life easy for office goers who do not have time to cook? Being Chef.

Being Chef was the first start up in India to come up with ready to eat cooking kits with 5 minute recipes. Their process is well researched, designed and patented.

I recently savoured an opportunity to taste their delicacies and try my hands on their cooking kit:

Penne pasta in white sauce cooking kit: I have laid my hands on such cooking kits before, but this one is extremely lucid and precise – one of the many reasons that it is patented. Every ingredient is measured precisely and packed with single letters written on the top. The recipe card clearly mentions the exact time a step will take for an ingredient to get cooked – the ingredients are mentioned by their corresponding letter names.

Since they follow a 5 minute recipe procedure, the pasta was boiled, the vegetables blanched and the sauce was already prepared and packed. The quantity served for the price is well worth the money you pay. Totally impressed!

The pasta turned out to be deliciously drool worthy since I followed the steps to the T. The balance of the flavours, the creaminess of the sauce and the extra cheese gratings on the top made my day. HIGHLY RECOMMENDED.

Vegetarian Deluxe Meal: Now that is one platter! You know are having a great dinner when the soft lachha paranthas are gobbled up with a smooth creamy dal makhani, a sweet paneer lababdar, a healthy bowl of mixed vegetables, simple steamed rice, a mellow gulab jamun and a well prepared mint raita. However the mixed vegetables were quite tangy and the rice was slightly undercooked. RECOMMENDED.

Veg Hakka Noodles: I am very stringent when it comes to the simple yet delicious Hakka noodles and these guys passed my test. The noodles strings could have been thinner but were otherwise pretty appetizing. The finely cut jullienes of carrots, cabbage and bell peppers complimented the noodles and the subtle tanginess of vinegar was the icing on the cake. HIGHLY RECOMMENDED.

The well known Leaping Caravan does not need a lengthy introduction. We all have binged on the plethora of in house delicacies offered by their cloud kitchen in Gurgaon and Delhi. The best part is that these dishes have been curated by Chef Ravitej Nath who received the National Award as the Best Chef of India.

The order arrived well in time but I was disappointed with the packaging. The seal of the raita bowl had broken and it was spilling all over the other boxes.

Moving on to the food, here are the reviews:

Chicken Tikka Masala: The first bite will force you to think whether to binge on it or not because the flavours are very different. But the subsequent bites will leave you flabbergasted with the complexity of the recipe. The chicken pieces are no doubt succulent here but the gravy is something to ponder upon. The maelstrom of green cardamom, caraway seeds (kalonji), cumin, tomatoes and God knows what seems like a volcano of flavours. HIGHLY RECOMMENDED.

Paneer Butter Masala: Slightly sweet but paradisiacal! The overuse of cumin seeds has paid very well here. HIGHLY RECOMMENDED.

Chicken Dum Biryani: I somehow did not relish this one. I like my biryani chicken or mutton pieces to be drenched/immersed in spices and here, the herbs had not penetrated to the insides of the chicken pieces. Add to it, the rice was dry and not moist.